Macrofungal diversity and distribution in Kishtwar High Altitude National Park, Jammu and Kashmir, India

The present study was conducted at 10 sites in Kishtwar High Altitude National Park (KHANP), Jammu and Kashmir, India, with the objective to analyse the diver­sity and distribution of macrofungal communities. A total of 40 permanent plots (four plots in each site) were established and macrofungal fruiting bodies were recorded monthly from each plot between July 2015 and October 2017. Diversity indices and canonical correspondence analysis were applied to determine the composition and environmental factors responsible for structuring the macrofungal communities in the study area. In total, 83 wild macrofungal species were identified belonging to 35 genera, 24 families and 9 orders. Humicolous fungi were the most dominant group of macrofungi contributing 71.8% of the total dominance, followed by lignicolous fungi (11.8%). The distribution of fruiting bodies of macrofungal species was mainly in groups, i.e. aggregated pattern (75.9%). The diversity indices varied from 20 to 37 (richness), 2.04 to 3.16 (Menhinick), 4.14 to 7.25 (Margalef ), 0.03 to 0.06 (Simpson’s dominance), 2.91 to 3.49 (Shannon–Wiener’s diversity), 0.86 to 0.95 (evenness), 7.69 to 16.29 (Fisher’s alpha) and 0.05 to 0.12 (Berger–Parker diversity). Canonical correspondence analysis revea­led that Scleroderma verrucosum, Boletus granulatus and Ramaria formosa were the most important species, and that mean temperature and rainfall were the key environmental factors responsible for the diversity and distribution of macrofungi in the present study.